Chef John Tesar's passion project Italian restaurant is finally coming to fruition after two years of work and involvement with other projects. The new concept, Gravy 51°C is going to be a "rustic but technical" traditional Italian restaurant that he is creating in partnership with Richard Ellman and Plan B Group.
The name, Tesar said, is Gravy. The 51°C is a subheading that describes the temperature at which pasta should be served in order to reach the perfect density and texture.
The menu for the Turtle Creek restaurant is still being developed, but diners can expect handmade pastas that are affordable, traditional and technical.
"We'll be making everything," Tesar said. "Anything you can imagine — spaghetti, extruded shapes, handmade tortellinis."
The broad menu will have something for everyone, Ellman and Tesar said. For those concerned about gluten, Tesar said, "I'm perfecting a gluten-free pasta as we speak."
Ellman said their goal is to create a menu and a concept that focuses on "fresh and authentic food that is approachable so people want to come and can afford to come on a regular basis."
Gravy is where Tesar said he will be behind the stove every night once the restaurant opens in Spring 2016 at its location in the base of the Park Place on Turtle Creek building.
"Don’t expect to see everything that you’ve already seen," Tesar said. "It is going to be very different from what Mr. Romano and Mr. Valley are doing."
He described Saint Rocco's New York Italian, the new Phil Romano and Jay Valley concept in Trinity Groves, as Mediterranean cooking, not true Italian. In contrast, Tesar said his restaurant will be like sitting down to dine in Italy, but in reality you are on Turtle Creek.
"We want the elegance of Milan, but the food to taste like it is from grandmother’s kitchen."
h/t to Eater Dallas
